Dryad Nursery - more Galanthus Info

[Blonde Ingrid]

I need some help with this. Is the brand ‘nivalis’ /‘plicatus’/‘elwesii’ etc? Or maybe ‘yellows’/‘pocs’/‘inverse pocs’/‘virescents’? Or groups like hiemalis, whittalii? Or individual cultivars? Or snowdrops from particular sources such as the Dryad series? Or from a particular grower? How do people see it?

Good question David, in this case brand refers to the perception around a particular supplier. Here we are talking about Anne Wright's brand versus others.

Brand is something that is cultivated by the very best suppliers and largely ignored or eroded by the least effective.  It is constructed by careful marketing including product identification i.e. what product is being offered and , how pricing is established and achieved, how the product is positioned in terms of channels, how the supplier segments the market and on what basis, and how the product is promoted. Basically, you have to identify what the key elements are and manage them effectively.

It is complex but crucial. It explains why I will not buy from one supplier due to concerns about quality, preferring instead to wait for another supplier to get it, chip or increase it and then I buy from them. It determines for example why a snowdrop sold by one supplier for £100, I value at a different price than the same snowdrop sold by another supplier also for £100. It also explains why suppliers complain they don't make good money from snowdrops, while the best ones like Dryad do very well.

[David Lowndes]

Thanks for that explanation Ingrid. Not my area of expertise (clearly!) and haven’t really thought about it before but your explanation makes perfect sense.

[Bernadette]

I need some help with this. Is the brand ‘nivalis’ /‘plicatus’/‘elwesii’ etc? Or maybe ‘yellows’/‘pocs’/‘inverse pocs’/‘virescents’? Or groups like hiemalis, whittalii? Or individual cultivars? Or snowdrops from particular sources such as the Dryad series? Or from a particular grower? How do people see it

To me a brand is a purposely controlled form, so in a way like dryad, as the other things you have mentioned are more nature and less nurtured by human hands.  That is not meant to be a slight but just a statement of fact as though I would love some of the new snowdrops the marketing has created a market price that is above what I am comfortable paying for a newish drop.  The other
problem with a series name is they tend to blend in your memory where an individual name
is more distinct.  I did work in a marketing department in my teenage years and loathed
every minute of the office environment so possibly I look at things with a business approach
more than I should.  So to me Golden Fleece, Midas etc are more memorable distinct names
though in fact all are brought to market and the public in the same way.

[Blonde Ingrid]

a series name is they tend to blend in your memory where an individual name
is more distinct

Not necessarily, the use of a series name carries brand and makes it origin and quality more memorable. A single name gives no clue as to provenance.

in fact all are brought to market and the public in the same way

The Dryad Series, Golden Fleece and Midas were not brought to the market and the public in the same way. Different pricing structures, target markets, product life cycles and channels applied.

[Bernadette]

But is being a "brand" a good thing?

I think everyone knows the provenance of Golden Fleece and the buzz
and publicity it received when brought to the publics attention was unique.

A distinct and individual snowdrop will create its own name for itself anyway.

I didn't realise snowdrops have "target markets and product lifestyles".  I obviously
am not up to speed on these things.

[Blonde Ingrid]

Being a good brand is a good thing. A brand that becomes tarnished or eroded is problematic.

People may know the provenance of Golden Fleece but we are talking about all drops. Series carry their own marketing, and stimulate collectors to keep collecting the complete series. It is the reason that the Marvel Film franchise keeps producing winners. The brand reduces the need to heavily advertise because the brand is known and the series has it's own narrative.

A distinct and individual snowdrop does not make a name for itself. There are a great many drops in that category that fade into obscurity. There is a difference between a supplier marketing drops and a couple of friends talking about one.

Every snowdrop supplied by a supplier has a target market and a life cycle. Whether the supplier knows that and manages it effectively is the point.

[Bernadette]

It's lovely that we all know that now too and interesting that you like collecting
complete series of brands.  I do enjoy seeing your many pots of snowdrops
that you have aquired and tell us about.

[Alan_b]

I generally avoid snowdrops that are new to the market because I know I can get better value for money if I wait a few years until the price comes down.  Whilst there is indeed much to praise about Anne's approach I am still in the waiting phase with her snowdrops.  Even then I will most likely be content with a representative or two of the Dryad Gold series rather than the set.

[Maggi Young]

I don't see a "brand" as being something that one would need or want to collect in its entirety- simply that with a respected brand one can be assured of the quality associated with it.  Thus a drop may be new to the market, but within a brand it carries provenance and one can have more confidence in its  constitution etc.

[Blonde Ingrid]

I don't see a "brand" as being something that one would need or want to collect in its entirety- simply that with a respected brand one can be assured of the quality associated with it.  Thus a drop may be new to the market, but within a brand it carries provenance and one can have more confidence in its  constitution etc.

My AT says that you would be key target for some advanced semiotics to get you to buy Maggi, very discerning 

[annew]

12 years ago, I embarked on a snowdrop breeding programme to attempt to develop distinctive and vigorous new varieties of snowdrop. The range available at the time was very limited, and many varieties were weak growers and difficult to obtain. Many new snowdrops were being found in the wild, or self-sown in gardens, but I wanted to explore selective breeding to achieve notable results, using the same techniques I had already been using for almost 20 years to breed miniature daffodils.

My yellow range produced a number of new varieties, selected for distinctiveness in a number of categories, apical mark coverage of the inner, apical mark colour, height (diminutive, mid-height and tall), outers shape and time of flowering. The Dryad Gold series are now an established element amongst yellows and many have been offered and customer feedback has been excellent.

From the Inverse Poculiform (ipoc) seedlings, two have already been identified as being of the high standard of distinctiveness and stability that I demand: Dryad Artemis and Dryad Venus. Both these varieties have been registered and given a very limited customer offering.

A third has now been identified that has exceeded my expectations. Virescent snowdrops are a key member of the snowdrop family and highly sought after. Defined broadly as having a green inner with green covering a large proportion of the outer, there are a number of excellent varieties.
Normally the green colouration on the outer is in the form of a wash, reminiscent of watercolour painting. What has not been available is a 'solid green' virescent, where the outer colour is a solid block of colour more reminiscent of oil paint.

I am therefore delighted to introduce the new Ipoc Dryad Demeter, which has these solid virescent characteristics. Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture and vegetation (also known as Anesidora, sending gifts up from the earth). In the ancient Greek religion of  Hellenismos she is associated with the colour green.

Galanthus Dryad Demeter is being registered ready for a limited offering in 2019.

[Blonde Ingrid]

What a stunning addition to your range Anne, a vibrant virescent Ipoc to add to Venus and Arrtemis! Demeter will likely become a benchmark amongst virescent snowdrops. It is not just your expectations that have been exceeded!

Roll on 2019!!!

[Maggi Young]

I have just updated our website with up to date info on the Estonian Spirit group of snowdrops.
http://www.dryad-home.co.uk/pages/ESTONIAN%20SPIRIT%20GROUP%20SNOWDROPS.html

Interested to learn of another Estonian 'drop -  these little 'drops are appealing!

Anne W. writes :  We are delighted that Taavi Tuulik, who introduced the Estonian Spirit Group of snowdrops, has decided to name a further clone, because of its distinctiveness and beauty.
This is a gorgeous clone - a group in flower give the appearance of a clump of tiny lampshades. Possibly my favourite! As it is so distinct, Taavi has agreed to name it as 'Kudrus' which means 'Tiny Pearl'.
The ovary and flowers are both distinctly rounded, the cupped outer segments having a distinct shoulder after the claw. The short pedicel holds the voluptuous little flower close to the straight spathe. The colour of the ovary and inner mark are a pale pistachio when grown under glass. The silvery leaves are erect and about half the height of the flowers. Mid height, flowering at about 10cm.

[annew]

Thanks, Maggi. 'Kudrus' is my favourite so far of the Estonian Spirits (and I like them all!).